Philip Spires commonplace book

I have kept a commonplace book for many years. It's a place where scraps of impressions are filed for future reflection. It's not a diary, it's just a mental scrapbook, concentrating on book reviews, concert reviews, visual arts and some occasional pieces on travel. It is also a place where I occasionally reflect on what I write. Details of my books can be found at http://www.philipspires.co.uk

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

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This is a masterpiece of story-telling. It is short - about 130 pages - and tells the tale of a man living an isolated life in New England. ...

Dialogues and Natural History of Religion by David Hume

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These extracts from the writings of David Hume concentrate on his views on religious belief. The Dialogues are clearly inspired by the writi...

The Children Act by Ian McEwan

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  Ian McEwan’s novel The Children Act is probably as close to the label masterpiece as any piece of fiction might get. Having just read Davi...

ADDA Alicante under Josep Vicent begin a new season with Bruckner's Seventh Symphony

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  Anton Bruckner was born in 1824, meaning this year is his bicentenary. In recognition of this, the new season of Alicante concerts opened ...
Monday, September 16, 2024

The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

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  In The Stories of Eva Luna, Isabel Allende presents a collection of stories ostensibly told by Ralph CarlĂ©’s partner. Ralph is a televisio...

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I usually don ’ t start book reviews with a warning, but this time I have to break the habit of a lifetime and issue one. If you are a Chris...
Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Aaron’s Rod by D H Lawrence

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Aaron’s Rod by DH Lawrence is a perplexing novel. It seems to represent two quite different aspects of the writer’s creativity. One side has...
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philipspires
I was born in Wakefield and was brought up in Sharslton, a mining Village. I went to London University and then became a maths teacher, working initially as a volunteer teacher in Kenya. I spent sixteen years in London, in Balham and Islington. In 1992, I left Britain for Brunei and then Zayed University in Abu Dhabi. I currently live in La Nucia, near Benidorm in Spain. I am interested in the relationship between nature and nurture, birthright and experience. Themes of culture and identity and their relation to economic and social roles underpin my writing. What we are born into relates to what we become, but we are rarely in control. What others do, our interests and intellects and the way we choose to earn a living, all of these shape us into what we become. It may be that culture is the sum of all assumptions that others make on our behalf, whereas identity represents our reactions to them. I did a PhD on the effects of education in economic development in the Philippines. I was President of Alfas del Pi Music Society for twelve years.
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